Shore pine • Pinus contorta var. contorta

Shore pine is usually short and contorted, as in the examples in these photos, though it may grow taller like in the banner photo. Top photos by Nancy Shackelford, bottom right by Dawn Fizzard, middle left by Teegan Bennington, and bottom left by Brian Starzomski.

IdentificationShore pine is generally short and crooked, usually growing to no more than 20 m tall, but it may reach 30 m in good conditions. Shore pine becomes stunted and takes a dwarf form in subalpine and muskeg locations, where 100-year-old or older trees remain no more than 2 m tall and 5 cm in diameter. These trees often have particularly twisted trunks and branches. Shore pine bark is scaly or furrowed into plates and is usually dark brown to black. Its long, deep green needles grow in pairs. It often has more needles forming a crown at the top of the tree.

Habitat & RangeShore pine grows from low to middle elevations along BC's coast, but may be found in the subalpine further north. It is often found in nutrient-poor or exposed sites, like bogs, dunes, rocky crests and exposed shorelines, where it may take the aforementioned dwarf bonsai form.

Human UsesShore pine was used by many coastal First Nations, including the Nisga'a, Haida, Sechelt, Saanich, Lower Stl'atl'imx, Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nuulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuxalk, Tsimshian and Tlingit. Various parts of the tree were used, including the pitch for waterproofing and as an adhesive, roots as rope, sheets of bark as splints, and a variety of medicinal applications.